Obama: High-speed broadband is a 'necessity'

(Image credit: Steve Pope/Getty Images)

A White House report shows that only 51 percent of Americans in rural areas have access to internet at 25 mbps, compared to 94 percent of urban Americans, according to a new White House report. President Barack Obama wants to change that by striking laws that prevent local communities from creating their own broadband networks, The Associated Press reports.

Right now, 19 states place limits on municipal broadband internet access, with many of those influenced by the cable and phone companies that stand to benefit.

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Obama's administration will aid towns financially and technically in improving internet service, a plan that doesn't require congressional approval. The announcement comes as part of Obama's State of the Union address preview.

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Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.